Suvorov military canals

The four canals of Kutvele, Käyhkää, Kukonharju and Telataipale are located in Puumala, Ruokolahti and Sulkava.

[1][2] After the Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743) Sweden ceded the Lappeenranta fortress and Olavinlinna castle in Savonlinna to the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Åbo.

The war had also showed the importance of Saimaa water ways[4] and as part of the fortification system it was decided to construct a series of canals to bypass Puumala.

[1][2] Construction of Kutvele, Käyhkää and Telataipale canals began in fall 1791 under Ivan Laube.

[1] Canal entrances also had stone obstacles to prevent anyone who was not familiar with them from navigating safely through them.

[2] Suvorov military canals were used by the Russian Saimaa flotilla that had its bases in Lappeenranta and Savonlinna and in the smaller Kärnäkoski Fortress.

In contrast the other three canals spent 200 years almost untouched from early 19th century until 2003, when Finnish National Board of Antiquities began restoration works on them.